RetroTINK 5x Pro - Is it still worth the money one month on? 4K 60fps
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2021
- In this video I give my opinions and views on the RetroTINK 5xPro after using it for about a month.
Has the initial hype warn off to show a pretty average product?
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This was a great showcase of the 5x. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I love the gamma boost for scanlines.
I still love mine! The fact he keeps adding features on firmware updates is very promising, too! I loved my OSSC, but this product is much easier to use. I know the Pixel Morph is coming, as well as the OSSC Pro...but I think this will tide me over for a few years!
I'm not interested in the OSSC, I found the original to be very convoluted. The Pixel Morph is interesting though.
I love mine and only had it for a month and I have only currently tested a PS1, Saturn, Snes and a MD on it. Really impressed so far by the quality on a 1440p monitor.
Nice to see that you still like it after a month of use. I know that sometimes the excitement of a new toy fades after a while.
That's what I was afraid of but not with this device. It's actually a solid worthy purchase.
I enjoyed this video, on a shallow level, the Dr. Who-like intro graphics. On a substantive level, as someone who hates filters, you made me rethink my position about them. And I thought you made a brilliant point about a real benefit of HDMI pass-through. I would not have thought of using pass-through for filter effect. I suppose it'd be like a better version of the GameBoy device you can play on the Nintendo64.
Thanks for watching,
Yeah, a HDMI pass through for filter effects would be a great addition to this device. It really is a shame it doesn't have one.
those scanline son aof 99 looked soo good
Yeah, I'd LOVE to get a RT5x Pro myself, if only there was a way to buy one in the UE without having to pay atronomical customs fees or ridiculous scalpers' prices on eBay. Such a shame there's no solid distribution over here, but glad for those who can enjoy it.
Custom fees stink. Mind you, I had custom fees here in Japan too but they were reasonable at 2700 yen.
Yeah, having an HDMI input would be nice because you would do a "de-res" of modern consoles down to something like 320x240, etc. -> 1080p with CRT mask option. It would be something fun to play around with. I'm super happy with the newest update from December. I love that you can now save profiles, and all the options to adjust color and gamma. It's probably the most impressive tech I've seen for retro stuff... and I'm pretty picky about devices! Great vid!
Do you know if it is possible to name the profile saves. Right now I have to write them down on a card 😅
@@RetroCore Same hahah. Hopefully in a next update he'll add the ability to add names.
@@RetroCore I thought the same. I write mine down on a sticker label lol.
Great upload! For someone like me who's not adept with all these settings, this serves as a sort of instructional video... Really adds knowledge. Kudos Mark!
Glad it could be of help to you.
My only concern with your setup (and your setup is very impressive) is the air gapping for your denon amp. I have nearly the same amp denon avr-x2600 and they can run hot. I would add t least an inch at the top where the main vents are for cooling. Yes it has side vents but your left vent is covered by your desk unit. Hope you dont mind me mentioning this but I just would hate thermal shutdowns to occur. It has a circuit breaker in it but the unit only is secure for about 100 breaks in its circuitry. Great vid
No worries on your comment.
It looks more closed on the video than it does in real life. There's 4cm space from the top and loads on the right side and back.
The amp has been in there for well over a year and sometimes left on overnight by mistake. Never had any heat coming from it yet. Its pretty good for air flow. But I do appreciate your concern.
The more I hear about this upscaler the more appealing it becomes. After you made some adjustments, the PS2 was looking pretty decent. I have a 50" 4ktv in my game room and my PS2 is hooked up through the component port. It's livable, especially with games that support progressive scan, but still leaves a lot to be desired.
The Retrotink 5Xpro will really improve the look of the PS2. It's amazing how bad it looks on a modern screen.
@@RetroCore , I'm definitely starting to think about saving up for one. The scart port will allow me to use my Atari 1040ST again too. It's been in storage the last couple years because I have no way to get video with it.
@@kevinroberts1888 I was on the fence for ages and skipped the FM and OSSC, as I main all my consoles on CRT's and PVM's. However, I took the plunge and decided to try a modern day display with my old stuff and I don't regret buying the Tink5x.
It might be a lot of money to a lot of people, but it can handle so many devices. Given the current chip shortage situation, I can't pass up one of these while they're available. Can't wait to play some OG Xbox and PS2 on my main television.
I would have added a rca breakout to the scart head and feed the sound back into it. That is also how I buy my cables, so I can break out the sound to my analog mixer without running it the whole length along with the video first, because my medical pvm has only a tiny mono speaker.
For both the Neo Geo and PC Engine that wouldn't work.
The Neo Geo through the Din outputs mono audio. The PC Engine via the Din outputs stereo for hu-card games but mono for CD games. This is why the audio is routed via the phono sockets on those systems.
I could take the phono output and merge them with the RGB SCART on the Neo Geo I guess but for the PC Engine that may cause some issues.
Basically, I have a Tink5x (used to have OSSC) + DVDO setup. Compared to the OSSC, TINK5x is somewhat buggy esp with Neo Geo AES, but overall picture quality is good and convenient to use. Was hoping I could have an all in one solution, but not this time around. Deinterlacing is okay for consoles such as ps2, n64, dc, gamecube and xbox. Motion better than OSSC. But DVDO vp50/vp50pro is the best for deinterlacing. The motion quality on DVDO is more film like. But DVDO is not as good for lower resolutions such as 240p. Another DVDO plus - can take in HDMI inputs and is basically a built n switcher and professionally built. Great for hdmi modded consoles with poor built in deinterlacers. The new pixelfx unit that is coming out may potentially be an all in one solution but may still fall behind in deinterlacing.
Interesting information on the DVDO. Never heard of that unit before.
@@RetroCore Its not readily available. Have to get one used. It was made as a prosumer video scaler. Videogameperfection has written about it a few times. They like the vp50pro, vp50 and edge as deinterlacers. Also forgot to mention it has component video inputs as well and an optical/coax out, which actually is all well done. The only thing missing is scart input, but I believe you can use the scart to component converter that Tink offers. Frankly though, for most people, I think the Tink5x deinterlacer is good enough. No need to spend on DVDO unless you want the best/hdmi input capability for deinterlacers and digital audio out.
So for a Neo Geo MVS what is better, this or the OSSC? THANK YOU IN ADVANCED
There exist a few zero-lag HDMI to Component transcoders out there, if you want to use your PS4 or Switch with the Tink.
Though I think only 480p would work with the filter options, since 720p is a passthrough mode to my knowledge.
What would be the use of this on the PS4 or NSW though? downscaling to 240p?
I have all the analogue consoles and I actually do my retro gaming on an old Plasma so it's not so bad and I'm not even sure I'd need this for it but I'd still like to get one. They are hard to come by though.
Ah, for the Analogue consoles you don't need this. My analogue consoles are not connected to the Retrotink 5Xpro. For other stuff though it is very nice.
Great video. I have a 2X, but wanted to upgrade to the 5. I've watched other reviews, but your look is more relatable as I'm sure a lot of us have a similar setup to yours.. I always enjoy your content. Thank you for this. 🙂
Thanks. Yeah, this is why I made the video. Hooking up many machine at once is something a lot of videos don't mention.
I wanna play some KoF'99 on that. Dibs on Team Ryuuko no Ken (Art of Fighting for us outside Japan).
You could always use component out of the ps3 and ps4 into the retrotink. That what I do for ps3. It works a treat. Make sure you set the video resolution on the console to the right one. My example I use 480p and retro rink to 720p then scan lines look glorious for gradus v. Pvm 600 filter. Is beautiful.
PS4 has a component option? Didn't know that.
@@RetroCore it doesn’t (natively). Only HDMI.
I see.
I understand 1080i will be the best it can support. A PS4 is hdmi only, but a VGA adapter and another VGA to SCART will be the only good bet, otherwise VGA to an alternative like the OSSC and you get 1080p!
That aliasing can be helped with an mClassic.
I have a question. I've been trying to decide for over a year to purchase a RetroTINK-5x, but I've already have a Framemeister, RetroTINK-Scart, and the cheap HD Video Converter. I'm not good at setting up the Framemeister with the different game system settings, and the only reason I've brought the RetroTINK-Scart is to play games with different resolutions (ex. Dino Crisis PS1). Should I buy the RetroTINK-5X, or stick with my current setup?
You should indeed get the Retrotink 5X. With the latest firmware the RetroTink 5X has a very simple new menu system (see my follow up video to this one) with presets for Neo Geo as well as many other systems. It also offers a vastly superior image quality than a RETROTINK scart and cheap HD box.
At the end of the day though, you have to ask yourself if you can you afford to buy a Retrotink 5x. If the answer is yes, go for it. You won't be disappointed.
Great video. Could you possibly set a link to the presets you use? I am trying to get the picture just right for my PS2 but can't get close to what you have in the video.
I don't have any links I'm afraid. Im using the PS1 built in settings with PVM overlay.
Your CoreGrafx inside an IFU-30 Interface Unit does not output audio separate from video. It has all three RCA Cinch connectors on the Interface Unit and RCA composite AV to SCART is a standard cable you could buy virtually anywhere, like Radio Shack, in the UK. Granted, you can’t just go down to Radio Shack and buy one these days but they are still available.
You can also get AV from the CoreCrafx or IFU and use it with a SCART breakout like the one Nintendo bundled with N64 consoles in the UK. The only drawback to getting it from the CoreGrafx would be that CD audio from the IFU would be mono, but since it’s a breakout you can grab stereo audio from the IFU instead and leave the others dangling. While you’re at it, go ahead and grab composite video from the IFU and ditch the CoreGrafx’s AV cables. There’s no reason to connect through the CoreGrafx at all though since you can connect all three from the IFU. The RAU-30 ROM² Adapter for SuperGrafx is the only scenario I know of where you’d want to get audio from the IFU and video directly from the console while leaving the audio plugs dangling from the console’s AV cable.
Now, if you have RGB modded your console but not the IFU, well, THEN you might have a reason to want video from the console and audio from the IFU… merely to get stereo CD audio (gameplay audio is still stereo). While you could get HD Retrovision cables with the PCE/Duo adapter and a stereo RCA to phono cable, you could also get a custom SCART cable with audio input. These are common for things like MD1, and Neo Geo since they only had mono on the multi-out.
Many SCART switches give you discrete audio input jacks and some of the ones that don’t have all the audio lines bridged so you can use one of those SCART breakouts to do it. Does your gSCARTsw have dual outputs? If so, try connecting one of those breakouts to the second output to see if audio is bridged. The breakouts were less than $3 last I checked.
I use one of the $2.50 breakouts for my older model OSSC with DVI. It doesn’t have a discrete audio input since I had to install a mod board to get audio support. The breakout puts a red and white RCA audio jack right in line with my YPbPr RCA jacks for HD Retrovision cables. :) It also has vestigial Composite and S-Video plugs which aren’t very useful. If you wanted to use an RGBS cable with discrete plugs, well, I guess the composite plug gives you a discrete plug for Sync (Red, Green, and Blue go to the same discrete plugs as Y Luma, Pb, and Pr).
I’m absolutely positive I have seen pass-thru SCART plugs with RCA jacks for audio which would also solve this problem for you.
Rca to SCART converter will look awful. Composite video is the worst.
My set up is running with a RGB modded core graphics. That outputs stereo audio for hu-card games but not CD games since the CD audio coming via the core graphics is down sampled to mono. That's just how it works.
So,. This is why I take the audio via the interface unit with the RGB image via the Core Grafix.
Now, one solution would be to RGB mod. The interface unit but. I don't think I've got the time to do that these days.
@@RetroCore Yeah. I only mentioned composite because that’s all the CoreGrafx and Interface Unit officially support and you didn’t mention that your dilemma involved an RGB mod. …but, yeah, they really are just adapters, not “converters,” since the SCART standard already uses composite video. Part of the beauty of RetroTink 5x is that it can do much of its magic with composite video too, and some prefer it since we now know the PC Engine VCE DAC has the wrong colors for RGB (see the Startling Odyssey II example).
The stereo from CD audio is not dynamic anyway so it’s not a huge loss but you do lose the effect of Maria and Richter’s voices coming from different speakers while they tell you not to play the next track in a CD player. ;)
Anyway, you should be able to find a SCART pass-thru with audio jacks to solve this problem a bit more elegantly. I use an UperGrafx UGX-02 for my PC Engine and CoreGrafx (true digital video) but still fall back to Composite and the ROM² Adapter for SuperGrafx games on the SuperGrafx. Only then do I have to deal with getting audio from the IFU and video from the SGX… and it’s just to maintain stereo CD audio like you.
I have the retrotink 2x pro and im just wondering if the 5x handles composite and s-video the same or better.
Much better. Composite will still look crap compared to other options but the 5x has way more capability than the 2x.
Not having AA was the norm back then. What your refering to is flicker filters which isn't precise. Some PS2 games have it. If you have Final Fantasy 12 that game has the option to turn it on and off and no flicker filter IN MY PERSONAL OPINION is a positive for those PS2 games that don't have it or let you turn it off. Sky Odyssey is the most jaggy edged PS2 game I have played and I loved it, lol.
Dreamcast games have AA as standard as it's built in to the hardware. Probably why they often look much nicer than PS2.
is your ps2 the PAL version? Is retrothink 5x compatible with PAL models?. I am from the US and worried myPS2 slim PAL can't work with component cables. I am using a composite cable.
My PS2 is Japanese but I can tell you that the Retrotink does work with PAL system.
@14:07 have you tried using an slg 3000 or similar device?
I'm afraid not. I've read about the SLG3000. From what I remember, it was good at certain points such as no time outs but it wasn't all that great for gaming.
How did you connect so many things to one tv? I'm very impressed
Many years of experience 😀
Back in the late 80s and 90s everything was 21 pin RGB connected but now its a mix of RGB and HDMI.
I bought the ossc without thinking about 4k. I got rid of my crt because one including would use it. My lgc1 make these games motion look good but I wii looks the worse and my games have to stecthed to fit the screen. Wish I had got the retrotink5x.
You can connect modern consoles through a HDMI to component converter.
Sorry, no. The only output is HDMI. All the other connections are input only.
@@RetroCore The RT5X has component input. Convert the HDMI output from your console to component using a converter, then connect that to the RT5X. The RT5X accepts 480p and 720p resolutions. And with the pre-scaler you can add the correct scanlines at higher resolutions. You can also downscale the output to a CRT TV. I do have a video on TH-cam showcasing this, but I should make a new one to clarify how to make this happen.
Can the Saturn take advantage of component cables or do you have a better suggestion.
It can but its much easier to find a good RGB cable instead. That's what I've been using since the Saturn was first released.
@@RetroCore I found my original S-Video cable from when the system launched.
S-video is a big step up over composite but not as good as RGB or specially made component cables. If RGB isn't an option, S-video is the way to go.
It’s weird I can’t seem to select any optimised sampling presets other than generic 4:3 and 16:9?
Did you update the firmware to the latest one shown in this video? If you did, they should be there. Check you are accessing the same sections I am in this video.
@@RetroCore thanks I’ll check the firmware version I’ve downloaded is up to date
Defo worth the money
I think so, especially with the latest firmware.
For the best ps2 output I would try to see if the games can be forced into 480p with GSM or any loader with 480p forcing capabilities. I wonder if that fighting game can be forced into 480p.
I do have the mac free PS2 card but find forcing games in to 480p to be hit or miss 😢
@@RetroCore Definitely more miss than hit, but just try it on your favorite games, because when you have a hit it looks so much better!
Yes, I was wondering if anyone would mention GSM selector. It is really amazing. Using NTSC games helps with compatibility.
You could just use a scart rgb adapter with extra inputs on it and use that to mix it in
Those things are composite to SCART adapters, not RGB.
@@RetroCore I have used it with my RGB Turbo-R MSX to mix in midi. it has a scart input and a scart output plus it adds 4 ports (audio LR jacks, composite video jack, s-video jack)
I want to play on my q70a tv and I have ps2 and Wii what do I need to play becuase I have lots of games that need to be beaten
Best to get Component cables.
@@RetroCore Would adding the M classic be good as well or unnecessary ?
How much lag does this unit have? I am having a hard time finding solid, concrete info on it that aspect.
All I want to do is play F-Zero X, I assume the game would need next to no latency on them turns!
All you need to know is that you'll NEVER be able to notice the lag. That's how low it is. Any lag you do feel will be because of your TV.
The website specifically mentions the lag numbers on the purchase page
Could this make ICO and Shadow of the Colossus look great on PS2?
They could, especially since ICO IS 240P. Make sure you use filtering!
Anyone used one of these with an Amiga?
The OSSC can handle and take care of games 720p/1080p and 1080i especially. If not just scanlines, the vertical line count gives games a crt style filter that brings back a great deal of how they were meant to be viewed. Even games that do their own scanlines benefit from this.
I was upset that Mike doesn't consider new consoles to be valid. He's going to regret that on newer titles if he's not willing to support them.
If it had hdmi in, i would have bought it
What tv is that
That is a Japan only LG model. Its not OLED but IPS technology using nano pixels or something. The code number is 55NANO91JNA
It's a great TV that has all the same features as the LG "C" series such as Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10, VRR, 120htz in 4K and blackframe Inserion. It also has all the LG smart TV functions too from the "C" series. The only difference is that the LG "C" series are OLED and this is IPS. It doesn't bother my though. Still get great contrast for a fraction of the price.
on aside note mark, do ps1 3d games look better through an original ps1 via retrotink or through a ps2 via retrotink. from my eyes ps1 3d games don't look great played off my ps2 to retrotink scart.
I think they look a little better via the PS2. Not much better mind you.
I am using the last gen PS2 slim if that makes a difference.
@@RetroCore im also on a ps2 slim. Most of my ps1 collection is 2d with ridge racer type 4 the only 3d title. I guess my rose colored eyes remember the game looking better lol.
Make friends. Not enemies.
I remember connecting my PS2 Slim Model 90001 to a 48'' SONY HD TV with composite cables and it looks really awful. I have to find out how it looks with an HDMI adapter on a 32'' SONY HD TV.
Probably not not much better. I was using component with my PS2 via the Framemeister and it still looked bad. Via the Retrotink is the first time the PS2 has looked nice.
The deinterlacer in the Framemeister is actually better than on the 5x.
Can't say it looked better to me. There was always the shimmer still present on the Framemeister. Still, for the time it was released the Framemeister was very good.
guess I will keep saving the money till my Trinitron CRT RGB TV stops working :x
Hey nice ps2 game
Thanks.
My experience with Mike the creator of this product was awful. I checked the shipping price of the smaller 2x to Au and it was a whopping $60 USD! That’s nearly $90 Australian, and near half the price of the product. When I asked why the shipping was ridiculously priced and impractical, he replied to my email with a picture of a clown (calling me a clown is my best guest). I wouldn’t ever deal with anyone with such a condescending and rude attitude. I don’t care how great this products are, rude creators who have no people skills don’t get my money. Try again Mike.
Wow, that was not cool of him at all.
Not worth it since it doesn't output 4K yet and that is the modern standard.
It does output 4K, just at a lower frame rate. Beside, if you have a good 4K screen, it doesn't matter because you can output at 2K at 60fps then the TV will upsample the image. Keep in mind many PS5 games don't even reach true 4K. More do on Series X but still not all.
Ossc vs retrotink 5, i'm from Brazil and the price 300 dolars is expensive. I want only for Wii
This would make Wii look great!
Think it's Outrageous and Scandalous to charge $300 Dollars £225 Pounds plus Shipping which brings the cost up to about $368 or Dollars £275 Pounds Plus UK Duty works out about $402 Dollars or £300 Pounds or more, just Outrageous and Scandalous, Retro Tink 5X cost as much as a Xbox Series S and the Nintendo Switch OLED Model, much too expensive for the average person to pay out $402 Dollars or £300 Pounds or more for a Cheap Black Plastic Box that can Scale Old Retro Games Consoles upto HDMI Quality, Mike Chi should be Ottilie Ashamed of Hisself and Disgusted in Hisself for charging such an Outrageous Prices for a Black Plastic Cheap Retro Scaler like the Retro Tink 5 x it really is out of most people Pocket and Budgets,
Go find the parts, do some electrical engineering, buy a mold for the case and build one yourself...see how much it cost to produce a product like this.
Lmao this is definitely worth the price, especially for what it does compared to cheap av to HDMI adapters. I have a retrotink 2x pro, and it does an amazing job. Way cheaper too. It sounds like your country is the issue for it being more expensive. Lol if you have a lot of retro consoles with older inputs, probably worth the investment if you don't have a dedicated crt for it.
Stop your whinging! For what it does, it's worth it's price.
Imagine being this disconnected with how costs and money works yet this opinionated about them
Do you understand how much research and work has gone in to this? This isn't some cheap device. Its a very high tech bit of kit. The price is expensive but it is not too much for a device like this. The Framemeister when that was released cost about the same.
Also, we can't blame Mkie Chi (maker of the Retrotink) for postage costs and the shitty UK import tax. That's not his problem at all.